When Bollywood divas picked up weapons

Mumbai: Bollywood may have witnessed the growth of new age cinema, but where women-oriented characters are concerned, the industry is still left wanting. More so with regards to women characters toting guns and other weapons; they continue to be a not-so-common phenomenon. No wonder then, such characters are known to pique the interest of movie-goers.

With Kangna Ranaut going full throttle in her Revolver Rani avatar, we take a look at some of the recent films where Bollywood actresses wielded a weapon and left a mark...Deepika PadukoneFilm: Ram-Leela (2013)Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Wow factor: Playing a Gujarati girl in a town where blood flows freely, Dippy brandishes a gun with such élan that it becomes clear that she won’t shy away from pulling the trigger either.

Parineeti Chopra

Film: Ishaqzaade (2012)Director: Habib Faisal

Wow factor: Her character is introduced as someone who is not only politically driven but is also fearless. That is before she falls in love and hurts her ego in the process.

Priyanka ChopraFilm: Kaminey (2009)Director: Vishal BhardwajWow factor: Even though her gun-toting character in Don (2011) deserves a mention, Piggy Chops made her presence felt with Kaminey, where her character, named Sweety, carries a machine gun and leaves a lasting impression.Huma QureshiFilm: D-Day (2013)Director: Nikhil AdvaniWow factor: Playing a government agent in this spy thriller, Huma has all things under control here. Her deft handling of weapons in the film only consolidated her character.Vidya BalanFilm: Ishqiya (2010)Director: Abhishek Chaubey

Wow factor: Be it a knife, scalpel or a loaded gun, Vidya’s Krishna Verma can handle everything and that too while wearing bright coloured sarees. To top it all, her character delivers some bold dialogues.

Neha DhupiaFilm: Phas Gaye Re Obama (2010)Director: Subhash KapoorWow factor: It’d be an understatement to say that Neha’s performance in this film was good. Her character — undoubtedly inspired by Shabana Azmi in Godmother (1999) — evoked both fear and respect.